Summit News January 2015

N E W S ISSUE VI of VI •

A Fertile Learning Environment

WINTER 2014

Inside this Issue A Message from Head of School

Finding Pura Vida in Costa Rica

Constant Growth and Movement in Lower School Science Environment Moving Beyond Ourselves We are Inspiring Learning: How teachers are inspiring learning in themselves and others Engineering Fair Bringing Science to Life DinoNAMIC Learning Message in a Bottle Summit School students live stream radio show on Screamin’ Eagle Radio Paul Dresel: Tech Pilot Patriot’s Day: A Fourth Grade Day at Old Salem In January 2014, Summit School expanded its Ninth Grade classroom walls far beyond the Reynolda Road campus. Five faculty members, four parent chaperones and 31 Ninth Graders traveled to Costa Rica for 10 days. It was a living lesson in life science, physical science, earth science, math, Spanish language immersion, writing, personal and group leadership and

service learning. The tradition will continue in January 2015 with the current Ninth Grade class. Enjoy reading students’ reflections on the 2014 experience in an article that was published in our local online daily news outlet, Camel City Dispatch (www.camelcitydispatch.com/ student-journalism-summit-school-studentsexplore-costa-rica/). continued on page 3

A Life Well Lived: Julia Sneden Remembering Jack Tally Pat Capps Wins Marian Millaway Douglas ’69 Award for Excellence in Teaching

A Fertile Learning Environment A message from the Head of School

What do classroom lofts, a Lockheed engineer, live streaming of Screamin’ Eagle Radio, a message in a bottle, dinosaur pillows, Julia Sneden, Costa Rica, assistive technology, Jack Tally, the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CEI), Pat Capps, sustainable outdoor furniture, and John Dewey have in common? They are all featured in this issue of Summit News. And they are all part of Summit’s fertile learning environment in which our deep progressive roots extend the reach of each child.

In the pages that follow, you will witness the vision of founding head of school Louise Futrell and the progressive principles of John Dewey expressed vibrantly in Summit’s 21st century context. These stories reflect Summit’s eighty-one year history of innovation—and they speak to Summit’s core identity as a school community that understands: Until the child has learned, we have not taught.

These are stories of educators who transformed the lives of those around them. Jack Tally, Summit’s “dog whisperer of old buses.” Julia Sneden, a celebrant of the miracle of children. Pat Capps, a gifted teacher who loves and challenges her students in equal measure.

These are mini-documentaries of learning by thinking about what we are doing. Ninth Graders discover Pura Vida in Costa Rica. Fourth Graders Skype with a former Lockheed engineer to explore their questions about space travel and the nature of the universe. Second Graders study the Gulf Stream by tracking the travels of their message in a bottle to Viana do Castelo in the north of Portugal. Jr Kindergarteners explore their vision and express their individuality through the time-honored Dinosaur Pillow Project. Teachers engage in the internationally recognized work of Harvard’s Project Zero, developing their full potential through Summit’s Center for Excellence and Innovation.

The thread that runs through these stories? That children learn best from those they love and respect and by whom they feel loved and respected—and they do so through the enduring and profound progression that Dewey embraced over 100 years ago:

“Rich experience leads to deep engagement. Deep engagement leads to the discovery of one’s passions. And the discovery of one’s passions leads to inspiring learning.”

At Summit, we are inspiring learning—always.

Onward and upward,

Michael Ebeling

Summit News Summit School • Photography: Martin Tucker •

ISSUE VI of VI, Winter 2014

2100 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, N C 27106 •

Design: One Hero Creative, Inc. •

336.722.2777 •

www.summitschool.com

Summit School admits students of any race, religion, color, and national or ethnic origin.

continued from page 1

By Olivia Crowell ‘14 & Claire Reboussin ‘14 Pura vida: a simple relaxed way of life lived by the people of Costa Rica. It is almost a catch phrase meaning just enjoy life and be happy. This is the peaceful way we lived for a week that can only be found in Costa Rica. Through the people, scenery, culture, food and language, we discovered the meaning of this phrase.

By Olivia Crowell ‘14 & Claire Reboussin ‘14 Even while on the bus, our eyes were immersed in the scenery and views of Costa Rica. We were able to see rolling mountains and never-ending forests of green and wildlife on one side and small cities and houses on the other. We had the incredible opportunity to visit rain forests, dry forests, cloud forests and volcanoes. Even knowing the danger of the volcano, we still felt welcomed and comforted by the beauty of the experience. In the forests, we were able to see a huge diversity of animals up close. We saw all the picture book birds, monkeys and sloths. We were even robbed of some sandwiches by the cutest robbers ever: raccoons and monkeys.

The locals of Costa Rica had to be the kindest characters. They were happy to help you and show you their culture. One night they showed us their traditional dances and music. Even in the market, we picked up the language and environment through their hospitality. The looks of the little cozy houses were humbling. The living style was much simpler than the ones we are used to. In a way, it was very nice and relaxing.

Every meal was prepared with its own style. Rice, beans, plantains and local fruits were always offered. All was fresh and delicious. It tasted so natural and made you feel at home. We also always had comforting sun beams on our skin and relaxing weather. In Costa Rica, they say that a rainy day is a good day so you can cool off.

Everyone loved Costa Rica and the experience.

Many memories were made and will not be forgotten. We learned so much in the most enjoyable way possible, partaking in a biology class that could never be given in a classroom.

The impact of Costa Rica was the experience of a lifetime.

We learned so much in the most enjoyable way possible, partaking in a biology class that could never be given in a classroom.

3

Constant Growth and Movement in Lower School Science Environment An interview with Libba Reynolds, Lower School Science Specialist

By Nancy Tuohy, Director of Advancement Ask any Lower School student what their favorite thing about Summit is and you’ll likely hear “recess!” “PE!” “lunch!” However, if you keep asking about things they look forward to each week, many students will say “SCIENCE”!

The Lower School science program at Summit is unique in its environment and approach to teaching and learning. I had the opportunity to interview Libba Reynolds, Summit’s Lower School science specialist, about her ability to create an inspiring environment for young children.

Mrs. Reynolds is in her 15th year of teaching at Summit and calls it “the best job in the world.” She also says, “I have the fun of teaching our students in a lab setting about the natural world. Nothing equals the excitement of young children discovering something new about how the world works.”

The weekly science lab experience supports the science curriculum taught by the classroom teachers. Hands-on experiments are used to develop an understanding of scientific phenomena and an enthusiasm for scientific study.

Reynolds says, “Students observe nature both in and out of the four walls of the classroom, think about it, and manipulate it in some way to discover how and why things happen. Activities are inquiry-based and are designed to encourage rational thinking and problem solving.”

Nothing equals the excitement of young children discovering something new about how the world works.

45

Students are given opportunities to guess and test, and innovative thinking is encouraged. By providing room for creativity and exploration, Reynolds taps into a child’s world of the imagination...black holes, invisible electrons, DNA splitting down the middle to reproduce itself. She quotes Einstein’s phrase “the gift of fantasy” and believes that fantasy plays a crucial role in science today and in the future.

Lower School students are realizing that the world is a big place, and they are curious about it.

One question leads to another and another. Each year in Lower School guides students through life, earth and physical science studies. Reynolds says of First Graders, “They are magical.

Everything is new to them. The curriculum lays groundwork for an understanding of matter and how it behaves.”

The Second Grade year begins with a crossdisciplinary study of birds. They go with their homeroom teachers on a “bird walk” in Reynolda Gardens, geared up with binoculars and field guides, and are led by a member of the local Audubon Society. In science, Reynolds also takes the children out in the “field”—literally, as she takes them on a scavenger hunt where they pretend to be birds hunting for supplies to build their own nest. Again, they use field guides in the classroom to gather information from other sources for a more in-depth look at a particular bird. This lays groundwork for the research piece of life science.

Third Graders have developed a greater ability to make connections between experiences and reasoning. Reynolds says, “Third Graders are joyful. They have a special thirst for knowledge.”

She capitalizes on this by spending time around one of Summit’s unique classroom environments—our pond. Reynolds guides the students in their discovery of Summit’s hidden ecosystem, studying water chemistry and pond life.

“Fourth Graders are exuberant learners, and their energy is remarkable,” says Reynolds. Students again cycle through studies of life, earth and physical science. One highlight of the Fourth Grade year is The Great Solar System Rescue, a virtual reality program that allows students to assume roles as astronomers, meteorologists, historians and geologists. They work collaboratively to unravel the mysteries of four missing space probes. The space unit culminates with a Skype session when a former Lockheed engineer answers the students’ questions about travel in space and exploration of our universe.

Fifth Graders are ready for more challenges.

They have become more adept at reasoning and articulating their ideas to their classmates.

Reynolds says, “We launch our year with a study of living things. It incorporates survival adaptations, classification systems, ecology, and other aspects of the biosphere, hydrosphere and

lithosphere. Science and social studies unite through the immigration project. Steamboats transported immigrants to America; steamboat models are created and tested by students in the Design Lab. The fundamentals behind steam as a force are taught in science lab.”

As Summit prepares students to move into Upper School, the springtime coursework includes a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) project involving electricity and circuits. Of course, Fifth Graders always look forward to the end-of-the-year investigation of forces, motion, and energy transfer. Reynolds explains, “The students work in teams to design and construct roller coasters. The engineering involved in their efforts is remarkable. They do Isaac Newton proud.”

Summit’s Lower School science lab is truly a fertile learning environment.

Summit’s Lower School science lab is truly a fertile learning environment. It is in constant motion and always growing, just like children’s minds and bodies. Things may be messy, but some of the best learning comes from getting your hands dirty.

5

Moving Beyond Ourselves Dewey Goes Digital

by Michael Ebeling, Head of School

“Change is a risk; not changing may be the biggest risk of all.”

- Grant Lichtman

“Twenty-first century innovation in schools is pure John Dewey.”

That’s how author and educator Grant Lichtman summed up his fall 2012 “educational odyssey” during which he trekked 10,000 miles across the United States, visiting nearly 70 schools (both public and private) in 23 states, interviewing well over 600 educators and students in search of “real innovation in schools.”

If the name John Dewey sounds familiar, it should. Dewey’s progressive education principles are deeply rooted in the practices of Summit’s teachers and in the learning of Summit’s students–and have been for over eighty years.

Author of #EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education, which explores the findings of his trip, Lichtman kicked off Summit’s 2014-2015 Inspiring Learning Series on November 21.

In its third year, Summit’s Inspiring Learning Series moves beyond the geography of Summit’s campus, serving as an invitation to the entire Winston-Salem/Forsyth County community (and beyond via on-line streaming) to explore three essential questions: What do we need to know to be better parents, educators and advocates for our children?

What can we share and learn from others in our community?

How can we translate ideas into actions that transform our entire community?

Speaking in the Loma Hopkins Theatre to an audience of over 100 parents, community members and educators from throughout Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, Lichtman posed

65

this question: How do we prepare students for their future, not our past? His one-word answer: Dewey.

And why Dewey? As Lichtman sees it, Dewey understood a simple but profound progression in student learning: rich experience leads to deep engagement. Deep engagement leads to the discovery of one’s passions. And the discovery of one’s passions leads to inspiring learning.

21ST CENTURY CONTEXT FOR DEWEY Metaphorically speaking, Lichtman says, “We are living through an explosive evolution of a fifth sphere (beyond the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere) called the cognitosphere: a system of knowledge creation and management that was not possible until we had essentially universal access to knowledge.” This “neural network” of connectivity has been made possible by emerging technologies. “The world is changing at an incredible rate,” Lichtman says. “Education is not.” Dewey’s principles dovetail perfectly with the knowledge flow and creation that the cognitosphere makes possible. The world has, in effect, finally caught up with Dewey’s brilliance.

ECOSYSTEM MODEL OF EDUCATION VS. INDUSTRIAL AGE MODEL Schools that successfully apply this understanding, Lichtman argues, must reimagine the defunct industrial age (“assembly line, one size fits all”) model of education in favor of an “ecosystem” model that is: Dynamic (tailored to the individual child; messy, noisy, chaotic; creatively and intellectually daring) Creative (positions students to create knowledge; student-owned; inspires students to embrace failure in process of discovery) Permeable (moves beyond campus–locally, regionally, globally; engages community partners; involves on-line blended learning) Adaptive (interdisciplinary; thematic; involves teacher and student collaboration)

GRANT LICHTMAN, PHD

[insert photo from Martin]

The “ecosystem” model, Lichtman observes, develops in students’ skills for success in the future, including: persistence, confidence, resilience, patience, openness, creativity, adaptability, courage, perspective, empathy and self-regulation.

1. School leaders who are trying new approaches that while informed by current research offer no guarantee that they are “the right choice.”

OBSTACLES TO INNOVATION

3. Parents who are seriously considering new options for their children.

So, what are the obstacles to change and innovation in schools? Broadly, Lichtman points to fear and inertia. The industrial age model privileges one way of doing things, one right answer, a single test score summing up the learning and accomplishments of a student. This instills fear on the part of students and teachers alike, which undermines learning. Those schools that have specialized in this approach, and have gained a reputation for success, are reluctant to change. As Lichtman notes, there are two reasons to change: “Because you have to. Or because it’s the right thing to do. It’s always better to change for the second reason.”

LICHTMAN IDENTIFIES THREE SPECIFIC BARRIERS TO SCHOOLS EMBRACING INNOVATION: Dams: External obstacles such as the College Board and college admission (which too narrowly define academic achievement and success–and can actually undermine the development of students’ skills for success in the future) Silos: Internal obstacles of academic divisions, subject areas, us-them mentality (which too often permeates schools) Anchors: Time (e.g., length of class periods), space (e.g., remaining in a single classroom), subject areas (e.g., artificially separating math, science, technology, English) SCHOOLS THAT ARE SUCCESSFULLY INNOVATING From his hundreds of classroom observations and interviews, Lichtman shared nine features of schools that are successfully innovating:

2. Teachers who are linking with thinking partners (locally, regionally, nationally, internationally) via social media.

4. Students who are “self-evolving learners who are accessing, managing and creating knowledge, regardless of whether adults are teaching them to do so.”

5. Teachers who are teaching into the unknown, recognizing that information is increasing at a geometric rate and, therefore, acknowledging to themselves and to their students that they do not have all the answers. Beyond that, recognizing that the key to the future of education is finding the right questions.

6. Schools that are self-evolving organizations, cultivating leadership that possesses comfort with and capacity for change.

7. School leaders who have a forward-looking vision of a non-industrial age relationship among teachers, students and knowledge.

Grant Lichtman works with school teams to develop a capacity for change in a rapidly changing world. He is currently Senior Fellow of The Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence and collaborates with the National Business Officers Association.

For almost 15 years, Grant was a trustee, chief of finance and operations, and teacher at Francis Parker School in San Diego, one of the largest independent schools in the United States.

Over a decade and a half of remarkable transformation at the school, Grant was either directly responsible for, or intimately involved in, strategic planning, program design, campus planning and redevelopment, global education, advancement, marketing, educational technology, admissions and financial aid, benchmarking and trend analyses, and risk management.

8. Schools that are effectively communicating their “differentiated value:” Who are we? Why do we matter? What makes us unique?

9. Schools that are aligning space, financial resources, knowledge, time (a.k.a, schedule) and personnel with their vision.

LOOKING FORWARD Lichtman ended his remarks by asking educators and parents alike: Who and what do you want to be as a school community? At Summit, the answer is clear: The very finest JrK - 9th grade progressive school in the region. Translated: We are inspiring learning.

Grant is the author of two books: #EdJourney: A Roadmap for the Future of Education based on his first-hand research with dozens of schools and hundreds of K-12 educators; and The Falconer: What We Wish We Had Learned in School based on his seminar in strategic and creational thinking.

7

We are Inspiring Learning How teachers are inspiring learning in themselves and others

By Kristin Bennett, PhD, Director, Center for Excellence & Innovation, Director of Curriculum & Pedagogy

At Summit, learning happens not just in the classroom, but on the sidewalk, on the playing field, in the dining room, and in the in-between moments and spaces that our faculty and facilities capture. Teachers at Summit intentionally create fertile learning environments that spark new ideas, create questions, and provide fodder for innovative solutions to problems.

A fertile learning environment

Our “classrooms” are not confined to four walls.

Summit educators recognize and encourage learning that moves beyond the school campus. The environment may be in our local community through visits to Reynolda House and Old Salem, in the regional community through class trips to Charleston and Washington, or around the globe in Costa Rica.

Summit educators engage students with their environment as a key part of learning that lasts, motivates and inspires.

Summit educators embody a long tradition of progressive education principles—those rooted in Louise Futrell’s vision of a school where learning comes from doing, and where “until a child has learned, you have not taught.” In the progressive tradition, environment is crucial to students’ learning. With the creation of the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CEI) in 2012, Summit now has a dedicated space for the continued growth of our teachers as inspiring learners.

Just as our students do, the faculty engages in learning both within and outside the four physical walls of the CEI. Under the direction and vision of CEI Director, Dr. Kristin Bennett, the faculty are brought together to learn from one another and from experts in the field, both on our campus and in a host of national venues.

8

Last spring Dr. Kristin Bennett worked together with the division directors (Julie Smith, Lower School, Gardner Barrier, Upper School, Carrie Malloy, Triad Academy) to develop innovative professional learning programming. Some programming is based on extending and enriching current curricula and is delivered by Summit teacher leaders. Other programs focus on developing teacher expertise in the latest research-based best practices. They draw from outside expertise including programs at both Harvard and Stanford Universities. Additionally, each summer faculty and staff engage in directed reading to inspire and apply thinking about teaching and learning.

The professional development initiatives include: Understanding & Applying Progressive Education Principles We will continue to claim our roots in John Dewey’s progressive education tradition and participate as his active successors in the 21st century.

• Design and practice curriculum aligned with progressive principles to inspire academic challenge • Students take an active part in the acquisition of knowledge • The process of learning is most important • Students learn best by questioning, creating and doing Literacy in the Content Areas (Across mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, world languages, studio and performing arts) We know that progressive education emphasizes the whole of all life experience, not just pieces of a subject area.

• Disciplines are integrated as children make connections • Intelligence is recognized as varied, includes the arts, and is measured in real-life problem solving • Teaching and learning use a common lexicon across subject areas

Communication, Collaboration, and Partnership We will fortify a community at Summit that fosters respect and trust and allows continued personal and collective reflection.

• Connect students, teachers, administrators and parents • School is a community and this community environment is key to how lessons are learned • Key community partnerships are part of curriculum

Being a Summit educator means engaging in one’s own progressive education experience in order to nurture and challenge each student to do the same.

• Program builds upon each preceding grade level • Assessment is benchmarked, has many forms and is progress-oriented

9

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING GOAL

PROGRAM EXAMPLES

STAFF SUMMER READING

KEY PRINCIPLES

Understanding & Applying Progressive Education Principles

• H arvard’s Project Zero

Creating Innovators

by Tony Wagner

• Turn play into passion and purpose

• Design Thinking

• Focus on creativity Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching Can Transform Education

by David Perkins

• Experiential learning • Immersive experience • Internal motivation

Literacy in the Content Areas

• 6 +1 Writing Traits/ Writers Workshop • S TEAM

Proust & The Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain

by Maryanne Wolf

• A nnotation • Everyday Math

• Reynolda Corridor Connections • Teacher Leaders • F ocused Collaboration across Grades/disciplines • C ommunity Code of Conduct • Parent Learning • Mindfulness

10

• Continuum of literacy development from pre-reading to synthesis across disciplines in 9th Grade Speech • Instruction is related to central questions and inquiry

• Orton Gillingham

Communication, Collaboration, and Partnership

• Brain science behind literacy

The Mindful Child

by Kaiser Greenland

• Living as community • Life lessons • Service learning • Collaborative teaching and learning • Teachers are facilitators, guides who foster thinking

Off Campus Professional Development Conferences Summit Faculty Attended AUGUST Teachings in Mindfulness Education, Wiscasset, ME

Faculty members have engaged in innovative professional learning in a variety of ways both on and off campus. As part of our continuous and cohesive professional learning curriculum, teachers participate each Monday afternoon in ‘Deep Dives’ and ‘Focused Collaborations.’

New this year, Summit holds monthly professional development workshops on ‘Delayed Start Wednesdays,’ during which the entire faculty is reading and discussing Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison.

The authors are all affiliated with Harvard University’s Project Zero.

Summit’s professional learning program will be leaning into Harvard’s Project Zero over the next few years. One Summit teacher, after attending a recent Project Zero (PZ) conference, called it “Dewey applied.” Since 1967, Project Zero has examined the development of learning processes in children, adults, and organizations.

Today, Project Zero’s work includes investigations into the nature of intelligence, understanding, thinking, creativity, ethics, and other essential aspects of human learning. The Project Zero mission is to understand and enhance high-level thinking and learning across disciplines and cultures and in a range of contexts, including schools, businesses, museums, and digital environments (from the Project Zero website at www.pz.harvard.edu).

Part of the professional learning programming over the next two years includes bringing Making Thinking Visible co-author Mark Church to work with cohorts of teachers to create a “Culture of Thinking” at Summit School using “thinking routines” to make visible the thinking we provoke in our students.

The impact of this strategic, content-focused professional learning programming can be measured: Each teacher participates in no fewer than 40 hours of consistent professional development—more than double what typical teacher professional development programs provide. The impact can be witnessed: Inspiring learning happens each day as teachers create a “challenging curriculum in a caring environment to help students develop their full potential.”

OCTOBER Project Zero, San Francisco, CA North Carolina Association of Independent Schools Annual Educators Conference, Concord, NC FabLearn: Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA NOVEMBER American Orff Schulwerk Annual Conference (Music), Nashville, TN American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX North Carolina Science Teachers Association Workshop and North Carolina Association of Independent Schools (NCAIS), Winston Salem, NC International Dyslexia Association Annual Conference, San Diego, CA

2014-2015 Conferences Hosted at Summit School

NOVEMBER Responsive Classroom Sampler Scheduling Conference (with Independent School Management and North Carolina Association of Independent Schools (NCAIS)) JANUARY Assistant Heads of School Conference with North Carolina Association of Independent Schools (NCAIS) FEBRUARY 1st Annual Divergent Thinking Summit: Design. Make. Learn. (with community partners, NCAIS, universities)

11

Engineering Fair Bringing Science to Life Previously Seen in Forsyth Family Magazine. Modified with permission.

If you look up the word “science” in the dictionary, you get a rather straight-forward – and maybe even a little stiff – definition: “a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.” Science, according to Merriam-Webster, is a noun.

We learned more about science and engineering from this experience than we would have just sitting in a classroom.

Here at Summit School though, the Eighth Grade science curriculum is turning science into a verb as well as a noun. To wrap up the 201314 school year, our Eighth Graders hosted an Engineering Fair for their teachers, parents, and fellow students, showcasing the nearly six months they spent working on personally meaningful science projects that resulted in over 30 fullyrealized ideas and fully-functioning machines and concepts. The year-long project allowed students to immerse themselves in the fertile learning environment that surrounds a progressive education tradition.

In the fall of 2013, Eighth Grade science students were allowed to pitch ideas – either alone or in groups – to their teachers for engineering-based projects that they would work on through the June 2 exhibition.

“It was really neat to see,” said science teacher Jason Felten. “You had the kids that partnered with their friends, which you always expect. But we also had some kids that formed groups that I never would have seen coming, and it was because they were passionate about the same idea. We let the kids pick what they wanted to work on, and that vested interest really drove them throughout the year.”

Students came up with ideas for everything from wind turbines to solar powered vehicles, sustainable outdoor furniture to a compost system for their pet rabbits.

With the help of Summit teacher and industrial designer Steve Harberger, students worked on their projects one day a week in class and then outside of school as needed.

12 5

“We learned more about science and engineering from this experience than we would have just sitting in a classroom,” said Eighth Grader Fleet Wilson. “Because I chose my own project, I remained interested in it throughout the entire year and I had a stronger sense of ownership in the end result.” This is a hallmark of the progressive tradition–student ownership and acquisition of knowledge through hands-on learning.

June 2 was an exciting day for the students to unveil their finished projects and reveal what they had spent much of their school year to achieve.

“They love the hands-on projects and seeing the results of their efforts in a working prototype,” said STEAM teacher Chris Culp. The fair was attended by parents, other teachers and the Eighth Graders’ Little Friends from Third Grade.

“The most important part of education is engaged learning,” Upper School Head Gardner Barrier said. “That’s the goal here. We wanted to provide a window for parents to see what’s going on during school and what their kids are learning.”

In line with progressive education principles, Summit School students proved that science should be a noun AND a verb.

DinoNAMIC Learning: Dinosaur Pillow Project Challenges the Minds of Young Students

By Ryanne Probst ‘07 Its origin is the stuff of legends, passed from generation to generation by word of mouth and cherished stuffed animals. Some say it started with a mother trying to cheer up her sick son. Others think its existence happened all at once, like the dinosaurs themselves— both historic fact and mystery. It’s a time-honored tradition whose lineage can be traced back to the 1970s: It is the Dinosaur Pillow Project. A beloved and memorable Summit experience, it is enjoyed by parents, students, and teachers alike.

The dinosaur pillow project has become one of the most anticipated units in the Jr. Kindergarten program.

Students learn about dinosaurs for about a week, investigating the different types, when they lived, and how they lived. Teachers guide students through thinking routines such as the “See. Think. Wonder.” exercise to encourage students in deep reflection, wondering, and the creation of their own unique questions to research.

Children learn about the earth and how dinosaurs play into the earth’s timeline. Once the students have spent time understanding the species they choose their favorite dinosaur, create a pattern for it, pick out a fabric, and sew it to completion. At an early age, junior kindergartners take ownership in their learning and engage in literacy across academic content areas.

“It teaches them math in different ways, literacy, and science,” Jr. Kindergarten teacher Jodi Turner said. “It’s a building process and there’s lots of intention behind the project. They’re sewing all through the year, building fine motor skills, and then putting those skills to work at the end of the year.” The vocabulary development in the unit provides a rich landscape of new sounds and words as these young students gain reading, storytelling and language skills—all keys to developing the neural pathways that create strong readers.

Though it’s a project created to enhance learning, it also promotes student autonomy. “One of the reasons it’s such a treasured project is because it reflects the child in every way. From their vision to the fabric they pick out—it’s a display of their individuality,” Turner said.

“The dinosaur they create is completely what they want, not me, not their parents. It’s their vision alone.”

When the project started, the dinosaurs were only as big as 12 inches across. Now, the pillows have morphed into enormous creatures, sometimes bigger than the kids themselves. Just like its size, popularity for the project has continued to grow.

Parents love the project and are a part of the communal process. “We could not do this without the parents,” Jr. Kindergarten teacher Cheryl Dickson said. Parents help with the sewing, the stuffing, and organizing the process.

“I volunteered to help every year I had a child in JrK,” Summit mother Beth Probst said. “I have a child that’s graduated from college, a child that’s in college, and a child that’s in 6th Grade—and this project is my favorite one out of all the projects over the years because it truly means something to these kids. It’s something they’ll carry with them always.”

Parents aren’t the only ones who love the project. Dickson recalls a time over twenty years ago when she first started at Summit School. A former student was visiting campus and happened to walk by her classroom while kids were sewing their dinosaurs. The alum walked by, did a double take, and then reversed, asking, “Are you doing the dinosaur pillow project?” The student told Dickson that he still had his dinosaur; in fact, it was sitting in his college dorm room.

“That’s when it really hit home for me how special this project is,” Dickson said. “There aren’t many places like Summit where something as special as this can happen.”

It’s one of the most beloved projects in Summit’s history because of what it symbolizes—hands-on learning, creativity, discovery, community building. It’s something students can take with them to cherish and share with their children—a tangible representation of their time at Summit School. Its tradition, roots, and foundation are things Summit values above all else. Though Summit celebrates the evolution of education, moving forward with learning, and utilizing cutting edge technology—they balance this with tradition.

“The project is the best of both worlds,” Turner said.

“It’s tradition, and yet it’s evolving, as the kids do, as progressive education does.”

13 5

Message in a Bottle

By Ryanne Probst ‘07

In the spring of 2013 cultures collided when a journalist in Portugal received a message in a bottle from our Second Grade Triad Academy students.

Throughout the Second Grade school year students study an ocean unit in which they learn about currents and ocean patterns. Susan Schambach, a Triad division science teacher, wanted to create a lesson plan that would apply the ocean unit in a unique way. After looking at a map and seeing how close the Gulf Stream is to North Carolina she decided to send a message in a bottle via the ocean. An innovative and impressive example of expanding the classroom environment far, far beyond the four walls of a classroom.

It was the coolest thing, Schambach said. I was completely shocked that the ocean message had made it that far.

“I actually got the idea after attending the Summit Auction,” Schambach said. “I saw all of those empty wine bottles and thought, ‘Now, I know how I could put those to some good use.’”

Eight of Schambach’s students wrote handwritten letters and placed them in glass wine bottles, corking each with neon red tape. Each bottle contained the same message: “Hi. It is your lucky day. You have found one of our drift bottles. As Second Graders at Summit School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA, we are studying oceans and we are very interested in ocean currents and the fact that the Gulf Stream runs very close to our state.”

The students sent this letter along with their contact information, a postcard, and a Summit School pen.

After sending the bottles to Wilmington where Charter Captain Ken Upton took them on his boat and threw them in the Gulf Stream, the students were left waiting, hoping that their messages would eventually make it into someone’s possession. It would take over ten months before their bottles would be found by an elderly man living in Viana do Castelo, a city in the north of Portugal.

He took the message home to his daughter, Ivone Marques, a Portuguese journalist, to translate. In a story previously published by Keri Brown on WFDD radio Marques said, “The whole family was surprised because it was a bottle that during one year traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. It was like a story out of a movie.”

Schambach felt the same awe and amazement after receiving an email from Marques in February of 2014 saying that one of her student’s bottles had been found.

“It was the coolest thing,” Schambach said. “I was completely shocked that the ocean message had made it that far.”

Schambach plans to make these messages in a bottle a tradition in her Second Grade science classes. She wants it to be a permanent fixture in the curriculum. For Marques, Schambach, and the eight participating students, this was a meaningful experience and a project they’ll never forget.

To read the full WFDD article by Keri Brown visit wfdd.org/post/student-project-takes-crossatlantic-journey.

14

Evertrue The Official Summit School Alumni App Securely network and connect with Summit School alums around the world.

This free app allows you to: • Discover alumni living in your area with an interactive map • Access the most current alumni directory and update your own contact information • Network with classmates through a built-in LinkedIn integration • Get the most up to date Summit news and social media posts Download the app on your iOS or Android device by going to the App Store and searching for “Summit School Alumni Connect” or “Evertrue”

15

Summit School students live stream radio show on Screamin’ Eagle Radio

By Arika Herron | Reprinted with permission of the Winston-Salem Journal

Screamin’ Eagle Radio is a unique environment created at Summit, where real-life daily news and events from the world enter into the life and learning of students. In the story that follows, previously published on June 2, 2014 in the Winston-Salem Journal, progressive education principles are alive and thriving in the learning experience of Summit’s Upper School students.

When Summit School Eighth Graders Olivia Garner, Emmie Littlejohn and Zoe Howerton signed off Thursday on Screamin’ Eagle Radio – the school’s student radio station – they finished the show heard ‘round the world.

Or at least a show available for listening around the world, via Internet live streaming. Since July 2013, the school has been streaming its radio shows live online.

The programs hosted by Upper School students (Grades 6 through 9) were once relegated to on-campus play only. Last summer, Henry Heidtmann, a classroom technology specialist who teaches the radio course, was able to build the capabilities for online streaming and archiving. On the way to school, parents and

16

students can listen to the school menu and calendar. Artists from around the country can hear their songs playing online.

“All of these people can listen now,” Heidtmann said.

Heidtmann’s been teaching the ins and outs of radio broadcasting for the past three years. Eighth Grade students take a four-week broadcasting class as part of rotating, optional “studio” classes.

During the course, students spend several weeks learning the history of radio, how it’s evolved and what types of radio programs are out there today.

For the final two weeks, student teams plan and create their own shows. Each team is responsible for two half-hour broadcasts. The shows feature music, live in-studio interviews, short feature pieces the students write themselves and public service announcements.

While one team is broadcasting its 30-minute show, the other students listen and critique. They learn things and get ideas from watching others on air, Heidtmann said. Usually, the second show goes more smoothly.

Tommy Hopkins, one of Heidtmann’s current Eighth Grade students, said he was glad to have one show under his belt when he took to the air for his second show on Wednesday. Hopkins and his team rewrote their show to break the news about the passing of Maya Angelou.

“I was still nervous because of the breaking news, but I felt a lot more confident,” Hopkins said of his second time on air.

Most students said they probably won’t pursue a career in radio broadcasting, but they come away from the class with skills that will serve them just as well off-air.

“We learned how to interview someone, which can help with job interviews,” said Eighth Grader Michael Noll. “I’m looking forward to using that skill.”

Heidtmann says he can see the students’ confidence grow from one show to the next.

When Screamin’ Eagle Radio got set to begin live streaming on the Internet, Heidtmann put out a call for local music the station could put on the air. Artists from Minnesota to Florida answered the call, responding with more than 80 albums worth of tunes so far. The station got music it could play, broadcast and archive with full permission, and students got to learn about local music.

“I really enjoy it,” said Rollins, one of the morning hosts. “I get to hear new music that I haven’t heard or been exposed to.”

Screamin’ Eagle Radio is always looking for more music to play on air. Digital downloads can be sent to ser@summitmail.org. Hard copy CDs can be sent to or dropped off at Summit School, 2100 Reynolda Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27106.

We learned how to interview someone, which can help with job interviews.

That change is especially evident in the hosts of the morning programs. In addition to the half-hour afternoon shows, Heidtmann organizes a 17-minute morning program that runs throughout the school year. A dedicated group of student hosts rotate through the studio, coming in before school starts to produce a show of music and information. The morning program is run by volunteers, which Heidtmann opens up to students outside of his Eighth Grade class.

“Three days a week it’s run by Ninth Graders,” he said. “The other two days, it’s whoever walks through the door.”

More often than not, it’s Sixth Graders Jackie Rose Sparnicht and Caleb Rollins in the studio half an hour before school starts. They’ve been regular hosts this year and are naturals on air, Heidtmann said.

“It’s something fun to do,” Sparnicht said. “I like working with computers. And Mr. Heidtmann is awesome.”

17

Paul Dresel: Tech Pilot

By Stefoni Shaw, Fifth Grade Teacher

Assistive technology is yet another way for students to develop their full potential.

The world of technology is its own fertile learning environment. For all people, it can provide a new way of learning and interacting with the world. For dyslexic students, it can open doors.

The use of assistive technology in a classroom environment offers a way for dyslexic students to make more efficient use of time, especially in the processes of note taking or writing by hand. By making more efficient use of time, students focus on all the things in which they are gifted, and cultivate lifelong independence.

Educator Paul Dresel is piloting a Sixth Grade assistive technology class this year. Every Sixth Grade Triad Academy division student will rotate through Paul’s class during a studio block time this fall. Looking around his space, it is obviously different than other classroom spaces at Summit.

The whiteboards are full of words and acronyms such as TTS, VTT, and Kurzweil 3000.

While these terms seem to have been plucked from the latest science fiction movie, they are actually abbreviations for technology common in our everyday world. TTS refers to technology employing the change of text to speech. Have an iPhone or Android device? You have used this assistive technology every time you link to Siri or type a location into your GPS. The technology allows the phone to “speak” to you as it reads aloud the directions on the screen. It can also be used to allow a device to “read” entire webpages aloud.

18

VTT, voice to text software, is also an app on your smartphone or smart device. This technology uses the power of voice to create type.

Instead of finger typing, the user simply speaks and the words appear on a screen. Kurzweil 3000 allows a user to scan the pages of a book into its program, converting it to a readable file.

With the tap of a few keys, students are able to listen while the book is read to them. They can highlight, take notes, annotate, and repeat sections of text. These tools are assisting students in developing habits for success as they travel through their school day and into the world beyond the hallways of Summit.

Paul begins each studio rotation with a review of the basics. For students to utilize these new technological tools, they apply their existing comfort with a traditional keyboard. Students practice typing, then investigate the many applications of Google Drive. They learn the finer details of file naming, file sorting, and file sharing.

These foundational lessons allow students to navigate around in the files they will create and use with the available assistive technology.

Plans are underway to train teachers and parents to use these instruments and devices, linking the classroom experiences to the home environment.

Paul looks ahead with an open mind. His innovative and inspiring ideas are exposing students to assistive technology that promotes lifelong learning and ease with the written word.

At Summit, when used with intention and strong guidance, these tools help dyslexic students see the academic growth they have the potential to achieve with their unique strengths. Educators like Paul Dresel are creating a learning environment that encourages experimentation, thus providing students with new ways to demonstrate their knowledge.

Patriot’s Day: A Fourth Grade Day at Old Salem

By Nancy Tuohy, Director of Advancement

19

New this year, our Fourth Grade is using a curriculum called Why America is Free to teach the “extraordinary events, times and heroes of the American Revolution as well as the principles and values upon which the country was founded” (from http:// www.valuesthroughhistory.org). As part of this curriculum, Summit partnered with Old Salem to create an amazing hands-on learning experience for students.

The curriculum, written by historians from the Society of the Cincinnati, Mount Vernon and other outstanding educational, historic sites and organizations, teaches students in a multidisciplinary and multi-sensory way. For example, in writing class, Fourth Graders chose a colonial name for themselves and selected a family trade. They kept journals written in the voice of their colonial persona, imagining what it would have been like to watch the events of the American Revolution as they happened.

The experiential Patriot’s Day ties into Summit traditions such as Pioneer Day (Third Grade) and Native American Day (Second Grade) and integrates the Fourth Grade study of Colonial America. In Old Salem, students wore period costumes and learned about the cultural traditions of boys and girls from the Colonial period. Morning activities included cooking, candle making, and touring key buildings. Parents joined their students in the afternoon to watch a student performance of music, song and dance. In the afternoon, students enjoyed tin punching, making Jacob’s ladders, simulations of girls’ tea etiquette and use of fans, and boys’ militia training.

19

EDUCATOR FEATURE This year Summit lost two members of its family, Julia Sneden and Jack Tally. Both were educators who embodied Summit’s mission. Both were drawn to, and deeply understood, the principles of progressive education, particularly in their abilities to create fertile learning environments for children of all ages. Both understood that an environment built on innovation, imagination and creativity is the key to learning that lasts and learning that inspires.

Their legacies live on in our students and faculty and, of course, the environments they helped to create.

A Life Well Lived: Julia Sneden

By Stefoni Shaw, Fifth Grade Teacher

Summit School celebrates the legacy of Julia Sneden, an educator who celebrated each child and invested in every colleague. Hired by Doug Lewis in 1973, Julia taught 4K and 5K at Summit for 25 years, until 1998, and was beloved by generations of students. She came to Summit after leaving her mark at Sunset Magazine, Twentieth-Century Fox and Universal Studios.

She was a gifted writer and passionate proponent of education.

Her love of children and writing is evidenced in this particular piece which was widely shared with parents. It is titled “Celebrate Children.”

“Celebrate the MIRACLE of individuality.

Accept each child for who he is, without thought to changing him. Savor each child’s fresh perspective. Give your child the gift of time.

Read. Make things. Kick over the traces and just do NOTHING, but do it together.”

Susan Hedgpeth, a current Kindergarten teacher at Summit, began her teaching career at Summit with Julia. Susan was hired the week before school began in 1989. Jumping into a new classroom space, juggling her family and career, and learning the curriculum is a mighty endeavor. Susan shared how Julia made this transition seamless. “She made me feel like I had something to offer. She was my mentor. Julia brought out the best in everyone.”

Jeff Turner, current Director of Auxiliary Programs says, “I learned most of what I know and practice about teaching and learning from a few brilliant teachers in my first years at Summit.

My first position at Summit was in Julia Sneden’s Kindergarten classroom. She was a quintessential Summit teacher in the progressive tradition. Her approach honored the true nature and needs of each child. Her classroom was a community of learners that included Mrs. Tribby, Mrs. Sneden and myself. We learned from everything– every conflict, every show and tell, every field trip, every moment and every context.”

20

Julia’s giftings were not limited to nurturing the minds of children and fellow teachers–she was also a talented baker. She is most often remembered for her amazing cookies. Perhaps the reason her recipes tasted so special is the most important ingredient was the love she so effortlessly imbued into each batch. She would take recipes apart, separate them into individual serving sizes so each of her students could experiment, explore, and create with her culinary formulas.

Julia embraced the progressive principles of education by offering her students “thinking routines” for their learning before the phrase became popular in the realm of education.

She would allow the questions of the class of Summit’s youngest students to guide the schedule of their day.

The life of an educator continues on, seemingly forever, through the seeds they deposit in the lives of their students and colleagues. These seeds sprout up as memories, a life-giving monument to the power of human interaction. Julia Sneden leaves behind a grand legacy of teaching and inspiration at Summit School.

Savor each child’s fresh perspective. Give your child the gift of time.

Read. Make things.

Remembering Jack Tally

By Ryanne Probst ‘07

In 1957 Jack Tally was operating his own service station when Doug Lewis, then head of Summit School, enlisted Tally’s help with bus maintenance. Tally was the dog whisperer of buses. Old and temperamental, these buses bent to no one’s will–except Tally’s. He had a special touch, one that could fix even the oldest and most stubborn of buses.

The lofts became one of Tally’s most beloved projects along with the creation of Fort Tally.

In 1981 he built a playground that would put others to shame. He’d ordered a jungle gym kit from a company in Tacoma, Washington. The only problem was there were no directions, only a model showing the finished product. Tally wasn’t phased. For three weeks he led a team of parents and teachers in building the playground behind the First Grade building.

For children it was magnificent. More than a playground it was a castle, a sanctuary, built entirely of tires, pipes, and construction barrels.

There was a school-wide contest to name this fortress and the school decided on Fort Tally, in honor of the man who made it all possible.

His talents didn’t stop there. By 1966 Tally became such an integral part of Summit’s maintenance that Lewis hired him full-time.

Dubbed Summit’s “Jack of all trades” there wasn’t a problem he couldn’t fix. He built cabinets, stage sets, shelves, and lofts, sometimes spending all night on projects. Even for the most obscure problems, like figuring out how to get the U.S.S. Futrell (the Navy surplus boat that spent many years on the Middle School playground) from Raleigh to Winston-Salem, he was able to find a solution with ease. It didn’t matter the request, Tally always responded the same: “No problem.”

In the spring of 1973 Doug Lewis and a few other teachers attended a conference in Washington, DC where they saw something they couldn’t stop thinking about: a balcony in a classroom. Lewis was absolutely captivated and wanted to put one in a Third Grade classroom. Jack Tally and Lewis built the first “loft” balcony over spring break.

In an excerpt from Onward & Upward: A History of Summit School, Tally was quoted, “Since that time [1973] we’ve built twenty-five more…

Doug designed the Middle Grades Building so there would be a balcony in every room, but he wouldn’t let the contractors build the balconies– we built them ourselves.”

Though Tally was a miracle worker when it came to fixes and repairs, he was so much more than a maintenance man. In an article published by The Sentinel in 1975, Tally joked, “I’ve got 510 kids and I know all their names and addresses.”

He was a mentor to those students who loved to tinker and build, giving them opportunities to fix buses and work with wood. He loved every kid that walked through Summit’s doors.

It didn’t matter the request, Tally always responded the same: “No problem.”

Jack Tally retired in 2000 after 34 years of service. Upon retiring he was quoted in the Winston-Salem Journal on his time at Summit: “There was something about this place I liked.

It was a challenge. It’s been a challenge for 40 years.” In June 2014 Tally passed away. He spent his last years traveling and visiting family.

Though Jack Tally is gone, his memory will always live on. He was a symbol of all that Summit educators and students strive to be: kind, smart, creative, genius.

21

Pat Capps Wins Marian Millaway Douglas ’69 Award for Excellence in Teaching

By Ryanne Probst ‘07 Pat Capps, former teacher and dean of the Ninth Grade class, is the 2013-2014 recipient of the Marian Millaway Douglas ’69 Award for Excellence. Established in 2000, the award recognizes teachers whose passion for education is seen in their innovative teaching methods, in the way they run a classroom, and in the bonds they share with their students. Recipients of this award are those who impact not one student, but entire classrooms, whose enthusiasm for teaching comes as easily and as vitally to them as breathing.

And the award couldn’t have come at a more deserving time for Capps. After 30 years of teaching, beginning first as a Fourth Grade teacher in 1984, then moving to the Junior High as a social studies teacher in 1998, and eventually becoming a curriculum coordinator, Pat was ready to move on to the next chapter in her life/career in the spring 2014. “It was the perfect way to celebrate all her years at Summit, to show her how truly appreciative we are of what she’s done for our children,” said Marian Douglas, creator of the award, and mother of three of Capps’ former students.

Capps has been a crucial member of the Summit team since the beginning of her career. “She is a wonderful woman,” Douglas said. “But she did not put up with nonsense. She’s funny and kind.

She always spoke to her students as equals. That’s why they respected her so much.”

She’s a woman who does not give praise easily, and in a world where everybody is a winner, this school of thought is like a breath of fresh air.

She believes that a person should be deserving of the compliment given—a belief that has encompassed her approach to teaching. She always supports her students in everything that they do, while simultaneously pushing them to do better, to become more than they thought possible. In short, inspiring learning in those around her.

“Students flocked to her to discuss whatever was on their minds,” wrote Sandra Adams, former head of school. “She helped students appreciate the value of reflection, which often affected the quality of their work.”

Perhaps this is why students continue to reconnect with Capps as alums, seeking her presence with as much vigor and love as they did when they were students.

“Pat’s love for her work was obvious in all that she did. Whether teaching, coordinating, or heading our accreditation efforts, she gave her best to help others be better,” Sandra Adams wrote. “I count myself lucky to be her colleague and friend.”

22

The following Memorials were inadvertently left out of the 2013-2014 Summit Support.

Donald Townsend

Mary Blalock Wilson

Father-in-Law of Bert Bennett III ’67

Secretary to Headmaster 1960-86

Grandparent of Cort ’94, Taylor ’96, Hunter ’98 and Spencer ’00 Bennett

Parent of James Blalock ’70 Neil Wilcox

Ralph von Tresckow-Napp

Fifth Grade Teacher 1980-97

Parent of Alice von Trescknow-Napp Morley ’76 Grandparent of LoLo ’13 and Tres ’16 Morley

Marguerite Wood

Katherine Ward

Parent of Philip Wood, Online Science Teacher, Junior High Science Teacher 1976-2010

Primary Assistant 1976-90 Parent of Joe Ward ’68 and Ann W. Spencer ’79

Grandparent of Emily W. Lemons ’88 and Suzanne W. Wilkison ’91

Francis F. Willingham Parent of Frank ’57, Burton ’59 and John ’62 Willingham Grandparent of Virginia W. Beard ’92 Uncle of Ralph ’66 and Anne ’68 Gorrell

The following is a corrected Memorial from the 2013-2014 Summit Support:

John McDevitt Parent of Alice Cleland, Junior High Social Studies Teacher 1971-2005 Grandparent of George ’79 and John ’83 Cleland; Jennifer C. Green ’81; Juliana C. Richards ’85; Davis Mallard ’92 Grandparent-in-law of Melissa Cleland, 6th Grade Math Teacher Great Grandparent of George ’08, Christopher ’10 and Jane ’13 Cleland; Stan ’10, Jack ’13, David ’15 and Alex ’18 Green; Charles ’20 and Elizabeth ’21 Richards

2100 Reynolda Road

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Winston-Salem, N.C. Permit No. 89

Winston-Salem, NC 27106-5115

Scholarship at Its Best We are committed to seeing students move from mastery of the fundamentals to discovery, expertise and impact.

A Fertile Learning Environment Our curriculum develops fluency, creativity and competency in every area of a child’s life.

A Sturdy Confidence The best foundation for confidence is the development of real competence.

Intellectual independence We give children the tools to meet challenges, take risks and be successful in a complex world.

S t a t e of the A r t Facilities Designed to inspire, illuminate and connect, our facilities provide spaces for memorable exchange and individual learning.

Educators Who Engage the Whole Child We equip each student for the rich journey of lifelong learning.